Internet Information?

[Cody Fousnaugh]

How much Internet information do you believe? As for myself, I've done a lot of research on different things and have come across a number of website that have very different answers. I remember someone telling me, "Don't believe everything you read online, no matter if it's news or researching something."

Funny, but when researching about an OTC or prescription med, the information will always say at the end, "Be sure to discuss with your PCP/Health Provider". My VA doctor is the only one that will give me any information in a myhealthevet. com area (Portal). My wife wanted some information from her PCP and his nurse sent her a message back stating "You'll have to make an appointment to see him".

Now, there are things that I've researched online and came up with very, very good answers, but that can be unusual.

What has been your experience?

 

[Don Alaska]

I depends on where you are looking @Cody Fousnaugh. Reputable sources such as Medline and Pub Med give good information as far as what is conventional. If you are looking for non-conventional stuff, such as homeopathic or naturopathic info, it will be much harder to separate the good info from the not-so-trustworthy info. The conventional medical stuff will most likely steer you toward drugs, since much of that is supported by Big Pharma, but there still can be helpful stuff.

 

[Axel Slingerland]

I remember someone telling me, "Don't believe everything you read online, no matter if it's news or researching something."

I wholeheartedly agree with that. The reason being so many people read things online, believe them whether they fact or fiction, then repeat them as though they are facts. Other times, things you read online are actually lies. I believe this is where the term "Fake News" comes from. So I always fact-check anything I think may be a fact but don't know whether it is or not.

I usually look things up on Google, Bing and Yahoo!, as they are the most popular search engines, and if I find nearly the same information ten times on each, I'll agree that it is "commonly accepted as fact." That doesn't mean that it is fact, just that what the majority or people who have posted anything about a given subject believe that it is. Be that as it may, if you ask 100 people, a standard polling number, how to fact-check information, one of the most common answers would be "I don't know."

However, there are also (sort of) ways to verify things based on trust. For example, it is widely believed that Congress raids the Social Security Trust Fund and puts the money into the General Fund. If you believe what the Social Security Administration says, the following is from a FAQ on their website:

"Q1. Which political party took Social Security from the independent trust fund and put it into the general fund so that Congress could spend it?"

"A1: There has never been any change in the way the Social Security program is financed or the way that Social Security payroll taxes are used by the federal government. The Social Security Trust Fund was created in 1939 as part of the Amendments enacted in that year. From its inception, the Trust Fund has always worked the same way. The Social Security Trust Fund has never been 'put into the general fund of the government.'"

That's what they say, and it is based on the law. But you know that any law is only as good as how it is observed or enforced. So although this is a fact, I have always believed that the Government (specifically Congress) always does whatever it wants to do regardless of the law.

Another example is medical information. I don't trust anything I read about anything medical until I read about it on the Mayo Clinic website. I trust those people with my life, and that is something you seriously need to consider when you are reading medical information.

"You'll have to make an appointment to see him".

That is the usual procedure, and by telling you that whoever said it is just doing their job.

 

[Smithy]

I depends on where you are looking @Cody Fousnaugh. Reputable sources such as Medline and Pub Med give good information as far as what is conventional. If you are looking for non-conventional stuff, such as homeopathic or naturopathic info, it will be much harder to separate the good info from the not-so-trustworthy info. The conventional medical stuff will most likely steer you toward drugs, since much of that is supported by Big Pharma, but there still can be helpful stuff.

I agree, Google gives out a lot of false but true information at the same time.. I just try and believe what I think.

 

[Sheryl]

I ditched Google when Trump was running for election the first time. If you Googled Trump, the first 3 or 4 pages would be anti-Trump.

I go to Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic to get health or medical information.

 

[Marie Mallory]

What are 'Push Notifications'? I keep getting a notice for them.

 

[MamaFrankie]

Push notifications, Marie, are notifications sent from an app to your device whether or not it is switched on so that you can have updates on your accounts for Facebook and whatever other media you are on.

 

[Axel Slingerland]

I ditched Google when Trump was running for election the first time. If you Googled Trump, the first 3 or 4 pages would be anti-Trump.

Is that all? He isn't as popular as he wants you to believe. But just so ya know, it doesn't matter what search engine you use. They are work nearly the same way.

I go to Mayo Clinic or Cleveland Clinic to get health or medical information.

That's always a good bet. The Mayo Clinic is top-notch and the Cleveland Clinic is a very close second...